“Don’t touch anything,” Jacob says. He walks to the side, taking out his phone and calling Grady, his second in command. “Yeah, get the crew together and meet me at Savannah’s bar.” He listens and then looks around. “It’s been trashed.”
I can’t stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks as I look around. I’m so angry that this still gets to me. I’m angry that someone trashed the place that I’ve worked my ass off to make successful, and I’m yet again the brunt of the hatred of this town. I built this bar up and expanded it five times since I bought it, bringing in something new each time. I walk over to the back where I have the pool tables and see that whoever did this also took their frustrations out on the tables and sliced the word whore in each table. “Was your alarm on?” Jacob asks, and I nod my head.
I walk over to the alarm system and see that it’s off and no lights are on. “We set it every single night,” I say, and he walks outside to check it. I walk over to the bar area, and I don’t know why, but the sight makes me feel like I’ve been kicked in the stomach. All the bottles and glasses are shattered on the floor. I walk over to the side and see that my office door is still closed. I’m expecting to find that trashed, too, but my desk is perfectly neat, the way I left it, and the safe is still intact. Closing the door, I walk over and grab the broom to start sweeping up the glass. I ignore the pain in my chest, the tears running down my face, and the burning in my stomach. I ignore it all because this is what I deserve. It’s what I’ve convinced myself I deserve for ruining everyone’s life with my choices.
The front door opens, and Jacob enters with Grady behind him. “The wires were cut,” he says, and I hear Grady hiss.
“What the fuck?” He looks around, then looks at me. “The guys should be here any minute. We’ll get this place good as new.”
“You have to call the insurance,” Jacob tells me, and I just nod.
“I’ll take pictures,” Grady says, “for the report and the insurance agent.” He takes out his phone and starts taking the pictures.
“Are you okay?” Jacob asks from beside me.
“Between last night and this?” I say. “It might just be the thing that makes me walk away.”
“You don’t mean that,” he says. “After everything that this town put you through, you would walk away now?”
“There are only so many times I can be kicked and then stand back up,” I say, and Grady comes over.
“I got off the phone with the alarm company. According to them, your alarm is still armed, and there has been no activity.”
The front door opens, and I cringe when I see who comes in. Chase Patterson, the man who I went on one date with and the man who just kept showing up at my bar. He was new in town and had just started a construction company. If truth be told, I only went out with him because he asked me in front of Beau. It was right after Beau went out with Melody from the bank, and I had to listen to her go on and on about how big he was and how he didn’t fit properly.
“Hey there,” I say. He looks around, putting his hands to his mouth. He’s dressed in blue Levi’s, a white T-shirt with the logo of his construction company on the right side, and construction boots. “We aren’t open for business.” I try to make a joke, and he gives me a blank stare.
“Are you okay?” he asks, sounding concerned, and I suddenly feel bad for agreeing to go out on a date with him. For sure, I shouldn’t have gone on that second date.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I say, looking around. “The rest of it is just superficial.”
“What can I do to help?” he asks.
“Nothing really.” I don’t want to ask him for anything. “I just have to call the insurance, and then I can start to get things cleaned up.”
“Okay,” he says. “Give me a call if you need anything.” I nod and smile at him. “Maybe I can take you out next week once you get everything settled.”
I take a deep inhale. “You’re a really nice guy,” I start. He puts his hand up, but I ignore it and continue talking. “But I don’t really have time to date.”
“Well,” he says with a smile, and I look at his brown eyes and blondish brown hair. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
“I will,” I say, and he turns and walks out. I look up at the ceiling and then look down.
“FYI,” Jacob says, “it really sucks when you start with you’re a really nice guy.”
I turn to look at him. “I think it’s better than ‘sorry I just went out with you because the man who I loved was dating a girl, and she went on and on about how big his dick was.’”
Jacob looks at me, and his mouth opens. “He’s not that big.”
“Did you hear anything else I said in that sentence?” I ask, and he shakes his head.
“Speaking of Beau, I should go and make sure he’s okay,” he says. “Do you think you’ll be okay while I go?”
“Yeah.” I look around. “I’ll be fine,” I say, and he leaves. Walking back to my office, I sit behind my desk and grab my insurance folder to call in the claim. I answer all the agent’s basic questions, and then she tells me that someone will contact me shortly. I hang up the phone and push away from the desk. There is one thing that I want to make sure is cleaned off. I find a bucket and fill it with water and a bit of soap, then grab a sponge and walk outside.
The humidity in the air is thick as I set down the pail of water and then walk to the back where I keep my ladders and stuff. Grabbing the ladder, I walk over to the side of the building and prop it against the wall. I bend over and grab the sponge, then squeeze it. Climbing the ladder, I hold on with one hand. I stop when the red comes into view, and I use the sponge to wipe it down. I don’t know how long I’m actually on the ladder, but the side of the bar now looks pink. I’m about to head back down and rinse the sponge when I hear tires on the gravel parking lot. Looking over, I see Jacob’s truck pull in followed by my truck and out jumps a very pissed off Beau.
“What the hell are you trying to do?” he yells, and I can’t see his eyes because he’s wearing his stupid aviator glasses which only make him look hotter. “Would you get the fuck down from there before you break your neck?”
I shake my head. “I’m fine,” I say, climbing down the ladder and dropping the sponge into the water turning it pink.
“Your shirt,” he says, pointing at my shirt. I look down and see that the front is all wet and see-through.
“Oh my God,” I say, folding my arms over my breasts and turning around. “Stop looking.”
“Go and see if you can change,” he says, and I look over at Jacob, who just rolls his lips to keep from grinning. “And we can get something to eat.”
“I’m really not hungry,” I say, looking down, and he just looks at me. “What?”
“You are always hungry,” he points out, and I roll my eyes at him. It’s annoying that he knows me so well.
“Well, I’m not today,” I say. Walking past him, I stop in front of Jacob. “Can you get Ethan today? I want to make sure that the inside is cleaned and all that before I leave.”